Piston-insertion device



March 9, 1926.

T. WINDLE PISTON INSERTION DEVICE Filed Qpgly 15, 1924 INVENTOR 77/10n/r M11015 Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES TIMOTHY wINDLn, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

PISTON-INSERTION DEVICE.

Application filed July 15, 1924. Serial No. 726,105.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'lnvro'ri-IY WLNDLE, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Oakland, county of-Alameda, and State of California, have invented a new and useful Piston-Insertion Device, of which the following is a specification.

-My invention relates to devices for compressing piston rings during the insertion of the pistons in their cylinders.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described such that asingle device may be used with pistons of widely varying diameters.

.Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which offers a minimum frictional resistance to the movement of the piston and rings therethrough.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a unit of my device.

Figure 2 is a plan View showing units of the device operatively arranged at the end of a cylinder.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 in Figure 2.

Figure 1 is. a perspective view of. a modified form of the unit shown in Figure 1.

-, F igure-5kis a. plan view showing another embodiment of the invention as operatively arranged at the end of a cylinder.

Briefly expressed, the device of my invention comprises a plurality of combined guide and compression blocks arranged to be fixedly held about the end of the cylinder bore in such manner that as apiston is forced therebetween toward and into the cylinder, the piston rings will be depressed to the size of the piston and so allow the insertion of the piston in the cylinder. Means are provided for adjustably holding the blocks in desired position, and a wide range of radial adjustment of the blocks isarranged for,

so that pistons may be inserted in many sizes of cylinders by the use of a single set of blocks.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1,2 and 3 is particularly designed for use with the pistons of larger cylinders, suchas the cylinders of locomotive engines, and comprises blocks (3 having an angularly disposed spring member 7 mounted on the inner face 8 thereofand having an extending portion 14 arranged to fit the counter-bore 9 of an engine cylinder 11. The blocks'G are arranged'to be so held on the cylinder block 12 that the projecting portions 1410f the springs 7 will lie within the counterbore space when flexed outwardly by a piston 15 and its rings 16. Theblocks 6 are arranged to be held positioned by means of the head bolts 17 of thecylinder block, slots 18 being provided in the blocks 6 to receive the head bolts 17 which, by the use of nuts 19, may thus be utilized to fix the blocks (3 in desired position on the engine block. Since counter-bores vary in length, the springs 7 are preferably adjustably mounted on the faces 8. As here shown, the springs 7 are arranged to be slidably positioned in guideways 21 and are provided in their upper portions 22 with longitudinal slots 23 through which the bolt 24: by which they are arranged to be held fixed extends, thus providing for the necessary adjustment of the device for use, with cylinders having counterbores of differing lengths.

Since considerable force is required to compress the piston rings of larger pistons,

ring compressing means are provided, said means comprising rollers 26 sov arranged in the faces 8 of the blocks on opposite sides of the springs that they will forcibly depress the rings asthey are moved downward to ward and'linto the cylinder, thus producing the primary depression of the rings independently of the springs and with a minimum of friction. It will be noted that the rollers 26 are so arranged that their planes of contact are substantially parallel to the block faces 8, so that the depression of the rings will be progressive as the piston moves into the cylinder.

In use, three or more of the blocks 6 are preferably positioned symmetrically about the axis of the cylinder and in operative relation thereto and are held positioned on the engine block by means of the head bolts 17 of the engine. The amount. of projection of the spring ends 14 is then adjusted so that they may engage in the counter-bore when sprung outwardly of their normal posit-ion. Insertion of the piston is then readily effected by placing it in the opening defined between the blocks and pressing it through the opening into the cylinder.

In the embodiment shown in Figure the rollers have been omitted and a pair of springs 31 provided at opposite side edges of the inner face 32 of the block A block formed in this manner is particularly adapted for use with smaller pistons where all the force necessary to depress the rings may be derived from the resiliency of the springs themselves.

Fixing of the blocks on an engine is not always feasible, particularly with multicylinder gasoline engines. Accordingly, in the embodiment of Figure 5, I have shown blocks arranged to be held in fixed relation to each other independently of the ongine. In this embodiment, blocks 41 are provided. each having a pair of springs 42 adjustably mounted on its inner face 43, and rollers 44 mounted on said face bet-ween the blocks. To secure the blocks in desired relation, extensions 45 are provided at their opposite ends between opposed pairs of which bolts 46 are arranged to be used to operatively secure adjoining blocks together. The heads 47 of the bolts are preferably countersunk in a reccess of the same shape to prevent their turning, and springs 48 are interposed between opposed extensions 45 to hold the assembled device in expanded position. It will now be noted that the assembly here shown and described is simply positioned at the end of a cylinder rather than being secured thereto, and that adjustment for various cylinder sizes is readily accomplished as with the other embodiment shown.

I claim:

1. A piston insertion device for cylinders, comprising mutually separable blocks of solid material arranged to have their inner faces fixedly held symmetrically positioned with respect to the axis of said cylinder, and spring members fixed to said blocks and arranged to extend therefrom into said cyli nder to contact with and define a guideway for said piston.

2. A piston insertion device for cylinders having counter-bores, comprising mutually separable members of solid material arranged to be fixed with their inner faces symmetrically positioned about the axis of said cylinder, and fiexible fiat spring members adjustably fixed on said faces and arranged to extend into the counter-bore portion of said cylinder.

A device for assisting the insertion in cylinders of pistons having piston rings, comprising members of solid material arranged. to be fixed with their inner faces symmetrically disposed about the axis of said cylinder to define a guideway for said piston at an end of said cylinder, and flat springs adjustably fixed on said faces and arranged to extend obliquely into said guideway for contact with said piston rings to depress them while said piston is being inserted in said cylinder.

4. A device for assisting the insertion in cylinders having counter-bores of pistons having piston rings, comprising members arranged to be fixed with respect to each other and having their inner faces symmetrically disposed about the axis of said cylinder to define a guideway for said piston, flat springs adjustably fixed on said faces and arranged to extend into the counterbore por tion of said cylinder in normally spaced relation from the wall of said cylinder, and rollers mounted in said inner faces of said members and arranged to cause the depression of said piston rings on said piston as the piston is moved through said guideway into said cylinder.

5. A device for assisting the insertion in cylinders having counter-bores of pistons having piston rings, comprising members arranged to be fixed with their inner faces symmetrically positioned about the axis of said cylinder to define a guideway for said piston, flat springs adjustably fixed on said faces and arranged to fit in the counter-bore portion of the wall of said cylinder during the insertion of a piston, and rollers mounted in said inner faces of said members and arranged to cause the depression of said piston rings on said piston as the piston is moved through said guideway.

6. A device for assisting the insertion in cylinders of pistons having piston rings, comprising members arranged to beadjustably and fixedly positioned with their inner faces at equal distances from a fixed axis, means arranged for varying said distance between said faces and axis, and means extending from the faces of said members whereby the rings of a piston will. be positively depressed when said piston is passed between said members.

7. A device for assisting the insertion in a cylinder of a piston having piston rings, comprising members arranged to be held fixed at an end of the cylinder with their inner faces at equal distances from the cylinder axis, and means carried by and extending inwardly from said members for depressing said rings on said piston as it moves between said members.

8. A device for assisting the insertion in a cylinder of a piston having piston rings, comprising members arranged to be held fixed with their inner faces symmetrically positioned about the axis of said cylinder to define aguideway for said piston at an end of said cylinder, and means mounted on and extending inwardly from the inner faces of said members arranged to cause the depression of said piston rings on said piston as the piston is moved through said guideway.

9. A device for assisting the insertion in a cylinder of a piston having piston rings, comprising members arranged to be adjust- 10 ably and fixedly positioned with respect to the axis of said cylinder adjacent an end thereof, and revoluble means mounted on and extendlng from sald members and arranged to cooperate to depress said rings on said piston as it 'moves between said members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Oakland, California, this 9th day of July, 1924.

TIMOTHY WINDLE. 

